Creepin U Season 2 Book 8: Shadows and Stone by Kota Quinn

 

Creepin U Season 2 Book 8

You’re formally readmitted to Creelin University, known locally as “Creepin U.” The only things wilder than the monsters prowling around campus are the spicy male/male love stories unfolding between classes. ‘Shadows and Stone’ is a monster romance. This is a fun and steamy novel between a protective gargoyle who lost his memories and the famous K-drama actor he wants to claim.

Expect a sexy monster turned bodyguard, a sassy human with purple hair, and a romance that has the perfect blend of spicy and sweet. It’s part of the Creepin U: Season 2 collab series, and each book has a HEA.

Tropes & Vibes:

Size Difference

Forced Proximity/Roommates

Steamy yet Cozy Monster Romance

Gargoyle x Human

Touch Him and Die Vibes

Purple Hair Don’t Care

Them Horns!!

Wing Play For the Win

Academia Vibes

Grumpy/Sunshine

Bodyguard/Celebrity

Age Gap

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245439344-shadows-and-stone

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

When Teagan gets not only a dream role for his favorite book turned tv how and a chance to go to Creepin U to enroll as a student, he jumps on the chance. Acting is his passion and the dream role is perfect for him. Add in the fact that he gets to have a normal college experience at the same time and a less demanding schedule? Sign him up. He can’t wait to get started. But when he is told he is going to have a bodyguard with him at all times, he isn’t exactly happy about it. Until he sees it is the purple gargoyle he was flirting with. Ryker may act professional now, but Teagan saw him before the assignment and knows there is so much more to him. And when there are signs of Teagan having a stalker and Ryker’s protective instincts kick in, Teagan knows he has no chance of not falling for Ryker. Meanwhile, Ryker can’t remember anything about his past. Ten years ago he woke up as a gargoyle and no memories of what happened before then. He’s been drifting ever since. But since meeting Teagan, little by little small fragments are coming back. Enough to help him discover things about himself he never knew. Can he finally figure out where he came from? I loved this story! This was definitely a favorite of mine from season 2. Ryker and Teagan were a great couple and I loved how they were around one another. I also loved the mystery of Ryker’s past and how they were trying to piece it together. Add in the little danger that is hovering over Teagan? Just a great story overall!

The Tarot Trials by Katee Robert

 

Tarot Trials Book 1

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Dark Olympus series, this high-octane, fast-paced epic fantasy of tarot magic and deadly competition launches an explosive new series perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Carissa Broadbent.

The deck has always been stacked against her.

Kestrel has trained her whole life to compete in the Tarot Trials. Her mother won once, earning a place among the five ruling Cinque—then paid for it with her life, executed for alleged treason against the Minor Court.

But fortune favors the bold.

Now it falls to Kestrel to take up her mother’s mantle as Champion of the Moon, enter the Trials, and face her fate. If she can master her new powers of shadow and illusion, navigate the poisonous game of alliances and lies, and corner the fellow Champion who dealt the killing blow to her mother years ago, she may uncover the truth she’s seeking without losing her head… or her heart. But in the Trials, betrayal is a question of when, not if. And winning the game isn’t about what she must do to win, but who she needs to survive.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244947409-the-tarot-trials

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

Kestrel has trained her whole life for the moment she can compete in the Tarot Trials. Over twenty years ago, her mother won. But shortly after she was executed for treason. No reasons. No explanations. With the Tarot Trials finally open again, she will finally get the answers about her mother answered. And make those who betrayed her pay. Kestrel follows in her mother’s footsteps and takes up the mantle as Champion of the Moon. But knowing about the trials and experiencing them are two very different things. Something she is quick to learn. She’ll have to navigate the game of alliances and lies. Figure out who she can trust and who she can’t. While she would love to go at it alone, like her original plan, she knows she can’t. Only five will win and become the new Cinque. And she is determined to make it there. This is a really interesting new world! What really drew me to it was the fact that is all based on Tarot. Such an interesting concept to put out there as sectors and gods and whatnot. Kestrel is a strong lead who has a lot to fight for and while she wants to standalone, she knows she cannot. And the allies she makes, she will be loyal to. I loved getting to know her and watch her navigate such a dangerous game. This was a really good first book and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

World of Creepin U Novella: My Crush From the Black Lagoon by CD Rachels

Someone new has moved into my lagoon. As the resident shifter of the swamp, I ought to give him a monstrous welcome. Instead of being spooked he’s…charmed? Intrigued? Interested?

I thought I was the scary one, the half-monster, half-human in this budding friendship. But this new guy frightens me speechless, because he could be everything I’ve ever wanted. How can I let him know my fishy heart only beats for him?

(A spicy male/male novella part of the World of Creepin U monster romance series)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243429548-my-crush-from-the-black-lagoon

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

A cute, short novella in the world of Creepin U! Blake is a lagoon monster who has habit of trying to scare humans out of his lagoon. But when the latest resident moves into, he is shocked by welcome he gets. Alvin is cute and sweet and entirely not afraid of Blake. And Blake? He is so tongue tied that all he can do is grunt and growl. And he can’t stay away. But when Blake meets Alvin when he is in his human form, he is horrified that they are working together for the next few weeks. But Alvin doesn’t recognize him… will he find the words to tell him the truth? This was just a really short sweet story that gives a cute beginning of Alvin and Blake’s love story. 

Blackwater: Fated Mates Book 1: Fate by Hannah McBride

Blackwater: Fated Mates Book 1

I can't stop running.

Shattered after a horrific ordeal, I have no choice but to keep moving.

Until one fateful day when another wolf chases me down.

Suddenly I'm frozen by the realization that maybe I wasn't running away from my past.

Maybe I was running into my FATE.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/262607130-fate

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Back into the Blackwater Pack world! This is Sierra’s story. Which first off, this story was actually first published in the Devour anthology. Just probably enhanced just a bit. So while I actually read this before, it was nice to come back to it again. Overall, it was nice to revisit this story. Sierra definitely was no one’s favorite in the series, but the girl has been through enough after everything that has gone down. It was nice to see her find her mate and find where she was supposed to be after feeling like she was never in the right place. And as for Kace, he needed her too. He needed to find his mate after everything he has been through in his life. I would love to see more from them hopefully in other stories. This was just a really beautiful beginning for the two of them. And it will be fun to see them in hopefully future books to see how they grow together. 

Bound and Unbound by Ali Hazelwood

 

New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood’s intoxicating paranormal romance novella duology—together for the first time in print and ebook!

Bound

A reluctant con artist and a professor with too many secrets are bound by an arcane text—in more ways than one.

Veronica “Vero” Mercer grew up with grifters for parents, and she knows her way around a con. When grad school bills pile up and her friends are in trouble, she turns her art history skills into a forgery side hustle.

It’s supposed to be a short term deal, but her work draws the attention of Dr. Viktor Ashworth, a reserved, very British professor. Instead of turning her in, Ashworth kidnaps her—politely—and makes an unusual offer: forge a mysterious ancient manuscript for him.

Soon Vero finds herself spending long nights with Viktor, bent over rare vellum samples and obscure inks. But as the con grows riskier, Vero has to wonder: what does Viktor really want, and why can’t she stay away?

Unbound

A five-thousand-year-old woman who has outlived empires. A doctor who has spent his life fighting death. They fates collide in a blood game of vengeance.

Lilit of Nineveh has spent millennia in control. As a powerful revenant, she enforces one rule above all: protect mortals. Disciplined and focused, she has never made the same mistake twice, and she has learned that attachments can only lead to ruin.

Enter Roman Martin. An overworked and relentlessly kind ER physician, he is the one mortal Lilit cannot quit. Any relationship between them is against everything Lilit has fought for. Still, she keeps coming back to him.

Until someone starts hunting Lilit, and Roman is caught in the crossfire. When everything comes crashing down, Lilit must choose between the world she has sworn to protect and the man she was never meant to love.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/252195647-bound-and-unbound

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

What a great duology of novellas! First off, be sure to read Bound before you read Unbound. That way you are reading it in order and don’t get any spoilers. But it’s another paranormal world from Ali Hazelwood and I really loved it! 

So starting off with Bound. Vero has found herself in the business of forgery. She didn’t exactly plan to go into that business, but between her graduate degree and the shop she works for needing a little help, she finds using her skills to help out and keep herself in school is the best option. That is, until she is “kidnapped” and asked to use her skills to make a copy of a very ancient manuscript. She should say no. Viktor and his group are sending signals that clearly say danger. But between the money and the curiosity that gets her when she starts this project? It’s hopeless. And then there is Viktor. The more they spend time together, she ends up doing the one thing she never thought she could do. Falling in love never seemed like it was meant for her, but he changes all the rules. Even when she learns his secrets. This novella was so great. I loved Vero. She was hysterical. You just never knew what was gonna come out of her mouth. She definitely kept Viktor on his toes. 

Then there is Unbound. Well, after you read Bound you realize just what kind of supernatural beings are out there. For Lilit, she has been around for a very, very long time. And she never could have imagined falling so deeply in love with a mortal. For ten years, she has had a relationship with Roman where she couldn’t tell him the truth, she kept him at arms’ length the best she could, and he accepted what she could give him. She loves him. And is convinced she can’t have him. But when he is in danger and she is attacked, the truth spills out along with it. And that may be the thing that finally gets her that happy ending she has denied herself for so long. I loved these two as well! 

Overall, loved these stories! Get ready for supernatural, some mystery, and some great romances!

A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 6: A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 6

What was broken will be remade.

Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he's been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.

The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day.

To make matters worse, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths. The rifts dividing them seem insurmountable.

But to defeat Koschei's creeping shadow, they must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances. To survive, they must find a way to repair the splintered harmony all around them.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31050358-a-court-of-splintered-harmony

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

We are finally back! It’s been a long time since we have been back in this world and the time has finally arrived. And this is just part one of this next chapter in this series. Four parts, three books. And if this was just part one, I cannot wait to see what happens next after this book. That was definitely one way to get back into this series. First off, if you aren’t caught up to this series, do so. And if you haven’t read Crescent City books, you are gonna want to in order to full understand it all. So, where does this story start? Well, shortly after the Inner Circle are greeted with a certain otherworldly guest. Everyone is still pretty on edge after that, especially toward one another. But for what is going on with the rest of the world? Well, the Night Court doesn’t like the idea of the other continent taking over the human lands. They want peace, even if it isn’t on their own land specifically. They just can’t stand back and do nothing. Especially when they learn that the Fae overseas may be making alliances with Koschei. Because making a bargain with a death god will only end badly. For everyone. And what happens if Koschei breaks free and heads their way? So how can they help? Well, first they need to make some alliances within Prythian as well as those who live off their own continent. But that is challenging within itself. From this story, we learn a lot of bad is coming and that everyone is going to have their own paths when it comes to dealing with it. 

I really don’t want to spoil anything big. But here is what I can say. We get some fun and happy moments as well as lots of drama. Because oof. There is quite a bit of that. But I have to say, happy to see some of it now in the beginning because that means we get to see everyone grow from it. Everyone is dealing with something right now and they need these upcoming journeys and missions to get them where they need to be. I really loved being back in this world and with these characters. After reading this, I am even more excited for the next book. There is so much story left and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out!

Shatter Me: The New Republic Book 3: Escape Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

Shatter Me: The New Republic Book 3

The scorching third volume in a new series set in the #1 global bestselling Shatter Me universe ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment.

James Anderson needs a new plan. He’s ready to make real moves to destroy the looming threats against their world, but no one is taking him seriously. James is tired of being underestimated by his own family. He wants five uninterrupted minutes alone with Rosabelle. He wants to kill Sebastian.

And he’s done waiting for permission.

Rosabelle Wolff needs to stick to the plan. Which means she needs to stay away from James and the dangerous feelings he brings out in her. When she’s near him she loses control, and she’ll need absolute control if she has any hope of convincing Sebastian—and through him, Klaus—that she’s still carrying out the original plan to destroy the rebel regime.

In the meantime, Warner needs to stay out of her business.

Aaron Warner Anderson is trying not to kill Rosabelle. They might be reluctant allies, but that doesn’t mean they get along. Every day is a new kind of hell for Warner. He’s worried about his wife; he’s worried about his world. He can’t decide what to do about James until he understands Rosabelle’s true motives—and when he’s finally delivered the answers he needs, the stakes prove astronomical. All roads lead to heartbreak and destruction, no matter what choice he makes.

Gut-wrenching discoveries, blistering romance, non-stop explosive action, and a world determined to control their thoughts and actions:

When the eyes of the world are upon you, who do you hope is watching?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245901675-escape-me

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Another crazy book in this series! First off, somehow I find myself picking it up and then not putting it down until I’m done. The pacing is so quick, it’s kinda crazy. But I love it. There is so much going on and of course we get a cliffhanger that leaves you craving for the next one! So what happens here? Well, we pick up shortly where the last book left off. Let’s start with James. He is cranky. Because no one will let him see Rosabelle, especially Rosabelle herself. He knows she has a crazy plan. He knows it involves her psycho so-called fiancé, he knows it is gonna lead to her sacrificing herself. But will anyone listen to him? Nope. And he is done with no one listening. For Rosabelle, well James is on point. She knows what she has to do and knows she is the only one who can do it. But getting Warner to listen and agree? Yeah, that’s not happening. Meanwhile she knows they will get hit with something bad any day now. And for Warner, the poor guy is stressed with Ella’s pregnancy and the chaos that seems to be unraveling before him. And he is bout to be humbled when turns out James may have been right. Get ready for lots of chaos in this one! And we finally get that happy moment we’ve all been patiently waiting for when it comes to Warner and Ella! Really enjoying this series so far. I know we have another two books left and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.